meesage from Jason Brinn of MMACTC.com

Hello everyone,

My name is Jason Brinn and I teach the MMA classes at MMACTC. I really appreciate all of the interest and healthy concern over our new school and my credentials. I will try to answer all of your questions and respond as best as I can to the comments. If I miss anything or if at anytime anyone has more comments/question/concerns please feel free to stop by the school to talk with me in person.

First and foremost.....I I love martial arts! It is my passion and obession and like most I started with some real BS arts until I got a little older and started what I like to consider "real combat art systems." In fact that is all I really care about and train today, REAL COMBAT arts.

Secondly, I do not and nor will I ever represent myself as a "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" blackbelt. By the way, I spell jiu jitsu that way when referring to BJJ because that is how the brazilians do it and out of respect I don't correct them. The correct way to spell jujutsu is jujutsu which is how I spell it any other time I use the word. You see I believe that if people/martial artists are out in the world working to be better people and learn or try to learn some kind of art then they deserve some amount of respect. We are all at different stages and for the ones of us that have some new perspective to rip apart others simply because they maybe haven't figured "it" out yet is harsh in my opinion.

What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to begin with? The term was only coined after Gracie Jiu Jitsu exploded and non-Gracie Jiu jitsu affiliated teachers wanted to teach and needed a non-copyrighted term to use. The art itself as all of you know came from Judo, which came from Jujutsu. My origins start with OLD jujutsu. I study, now for the last 12 years, an art called Daito ryu aikijujutsu Roppokai under my ONLY current teacher Seigo Okamoto.

What about my BJJ experience? YES, I have in fact trained with every person and in every system that I say that I have. Hard to believe even to me sometimes but what can I say, I didn't date and was pretty much a dork throughout all of highschool.

My intro to BJJ was with people that trained with people so I know some of you won't like that but there were not that many options back in 1994 when I started. However, I trained and have trained every day on the mat...blood sweat and tears. My first notable direct instructor was Carlos Machado. He was in Dallas and I lived in NC so it is not too hard to figure out that I trained via seminars....just like every single affiliate school and instructor that he has or any Brazilian jiu jitsu school has ever trained in any city not directly located where their "teacher" is located.

Am I bad for training through seminars, or good because I recognized the need to train somehow and went with what I could do? I leave that decision with each of you. All I will say is that the first seminar I had with him I brought in two students of mine and after the first day of training he came over to me and asked if I would mind if he offered a position on a national competition team he was forming to both of my students. Take that how you like but it made me feel that we at least were doing the basics correctly.

As for competitions, don't waste your time on google cause you won't find any. I have been in some random (lame) competitions throught my years but nothing worth talking about and surely not listed or reported anywhere. The short fact is that I personally don't value competitions that highly. I feel, for me, they are more about ego then anything else and promote bad habits. I do in fact and will continue to take students that want to go to competitions to compete. In the past my students have done VERY well but that credit goes to them for hard training and competing not to me in my opinion. As for Cage fighting to me it is a sport, I mean it has rules and time limits. I don't care about sport for me specifically, plus I am 34 and married so those days are almost past me anyway. I do love the sport and will support it and I am VERY happy to report we already have one guy wanting to go down that path so in the future I am sure I can report some really good news!

Next I trained with Carlos Lemos, not that much, but directly until something happened with his Visa and he could not get back from Brazil. It was in Garner, NC and there are tons of people that can verify he was there. I am a pretty quite guy so I can't say they will remember me specifically, however, I do know that Rob & Guy Pendergrass can vouch that I did attend training there and they can be found here: www.bjjnc.com

Other than that and the early training with students of well known people I have mostly just had various classess and rolling sesssion with many well known and unknown but great instructors.

All of what is listed on the MMACTC website is true, albeit some of it I would rather just leave off but it is a business and we have to market to people that are coming in new you know. Personally I would love it if I could just say "hey my name is Jason and I know some martial arts...lets get together and train" and leave all the BS out but people don't understand that yet (maybe they never will). People want to know I am qualified and feel like they are learning from someone who has put in the time and that is why my highest rank is listed. At MMACTC we only go by the unde belts or blackbelt. After blackbelt at MMACTC there are NO dan rankings...not even for me. The belts work good to keep are GIs together and the GIs keep our clothes from getting torn apart and after that we really don't give either much thought.

I can assure that we are not doing Tae Bo MMA down at MMACTC and only time I guess will prove that. We will have people competing in events both Sport and No Holds as soon as they are ready and I am VERY positive that the results will speak for themselves.

I must say that I feel pretty good that on ONLY our 3rd day of being open that we have had such a great response. This speaks to the 3 hours of Cage training a week. Right now we only have one dud that wants to fight in the Cage. as the school grows so will the classes and class times. Of course, we are not suggesting that any of the times listed are enough yet to prepare someone to go into the Cage, but you have to start somewhere guys.

The short and skinny of all of it is this....I am serious. We are doing our own thing down at MMACTC, a thing we feel pretty confident about, a thing I KNOW will result in good REAL fighters and honest "real world" self defense training for anyone that chooses to attend. After training in martial arts for 27 years I feel like I got a good feel for what I think is important and what I want to show people. Because of this I don't plan to EVER go under any particular instructor or system....I am teaching what I know and MY system. MMA is mixed martial arts and that's what I teach. I have few rules but here they are....1. Be Honest 2. Be Nice 3. Let what works be the judge for what's right.

We offer a FREE class to anyone that has the right attitude so please come down if you are curious or want to know more and train with me on the mat personally. You might find that i know nothing, or maybe I know a little....but you definitely will find that I am kind hearted and wish to share REAL knowledge with the people gracious enough to share their time with me.

Thanks again for the response and interest and again feel free to email me, call me or better yet come by anytime!

It looks like you are buidling a great facility over there, but the palcement of some of the equiptment makes it seem like it is more designed for large classes than individual training. At least that was my observation, and I most certaily could be wrong.

I have little reason to doubt your experience in the martial arts, but I do wonder what experience you have to train MMA fighters? I ask this in all due respect as most successful MMA trainers I have met have experience fighting in the ring/cage/etc, and you have mentioned that you aren't too big on competitions. I hope you can understand this query as an honest attempt to clear us a possible contridiction.

As a guy who trains with a bunch of MMA fighters, both pro and amatuer, I can honestly say that the school I attend welcomes any other local MMA schools as we are hard-pressed to find any decent local competition. So kudos to you for giving it a shot.

One last thought that may make your breakthrough into the local MMA scene a little more friendly...On your website seem to talk down about other local MMA schools and specifically mention a Gracie JJ school where the instructors 'only know bjj but nothing else' (paraphrased). There is only 1 Gracie JJ school in the area, and the two instructors are Royce Black Belts (there are less than a couple dozenl in the country). It also just so happens that the instructors are also very experienced MMA fighters and teachers,and just generally bad asses when it comes to fighting (for full disclosure they are my instructors). As they are very close w/ Royce, Rodrigo and several other big name Gracie and BJJ guys (Churuto, Serra, Camarillo, etc.), and I’m sure if you are running a legitimate BJJ school over there you would want your students to take advantage of the local seminars that are held at our gym. So,

Anyway…I think that they could take the types of comments you make on your website fairly personally...so you might do yourself a favor by toning down the marketing a notch (though I totally understand the need). Just a friendly thought.

Thank you and understood...

Point well taken,

Unfortunately, I can see how the wording on the website comes across that way but was never intended to read that way by us. We were only trying to say that you definitely need both someone knowledgeable about BJJ/Ground work as well as the Striking aspects too.

Interestlingly enough I know very well Billy and Jason. I met them both first back in 1997 or 98 can't recall exactly, when I would drive from Rocky Mount, NC to Raleigh to train at RIMA on Sundays with the then "Raleigh Judo club." That club became a BJJ club where I trained side by side with Billy and Jason back when they were both whitebelts. They both have done exceptionally well and excelled in rank and knowledge I am sure and definitely both are general "bad assess" as you put it no doubt. I respect them both.

I think Carlos Lemos that I spoke of might have even stayed with Billy and Billy have gone to Brazil and stayed with him during that whole period of time.

I have also rolled with Greg when his school was back in Hillsborough and actually competed in Fayettville in a tournament where Tera was in my division and beat out all the guys to win!

I don't like to name drop but I want people to know that I am sincere and have legitimately "been around."

MMACTC has links to Camarillo, one of the guys that came from the Center (not under my instruction - he was there before I got there) Matt Majors actually trains now in CA with Camarillo and company (Fitch, Koscheck, Swick, etc.) and as we speak is in Japan for a fight.

I have trained and under and assisted with training World Kick Boxing champions back in my karat days with James Dozier (5 time NC Kickboxing Champion) and under Bill McDonald in Greenville, NC where 5 World Champs came from during my period of time (understand I was there not responsible for thier success or anything). Also, MMACTC had some Champion boxing instructors, with long and accredited histories of training TOP Boxing competitors. With all that said, I feel like I have had good exposure to what it takes to train and be successful as a professional fighter. Couple that with the awesome instruction I have gotten over the years from great people like Machado, Lemos, even with Billy and Jason and the Pendergrass Twins I believe, TRULY believe (and time my prove me wrong) that I have the right formula to take someone to the top of the sport.

I can assure you this much....we are going to do our BEST to beat the BEST! Lastly, I am a work in progress and always will be. I will always have an instructor and always try to learn more. I am open to training with whomever I feel can help me progress and help my students and fighters. However, for right now I am only interested in sharing and not being under anyone particular. For now I have to see if I have what it takes to train somebody right!

Thank you for providing some information. One of the problems I have, and it may seem picky, is the listing of your experience in BJJ. In your post, you only mention Carlos Machado and training via some seminars. That's all well and good, but your website clearly states you have 14 years of experience. It may seem picky but that is a bit misleading in my opinion.

As an example, I did about 3 months of BJJ and then stopped for about 18 months total time due to various reasons. I did some various other grappling but didn't get back to Jiu-Jitsu until I then started back up again after that time frame. I do count my overall grappling experience but when people ask me how long I've been doing Jiu-Jitsu, I basically tell them the time I've been with my current instructor which is 3 years this January. Now I could tell them that it has been 5 years but to me, that would be misleading.

The thing is, from the point of view of someone specifically looking for that training, seeing 14 years would make people assume that you have major credentials or at least awesome teaching skills as well as at least a brown or black in BJJ. I'm sure it's fudging, but if you fudge enough, you start to get in some very bad territory.

I'm curious to hear what type of training you went through and with who over those 14 years. If you can provide detail, that would be appreciated.

Also, please note, training for 2 years, not training for 10 years, then training for 2 additional years does NOT equal 14 years. Not saying that is what you are doing. Just giving you a heads up in case it is something like that.

Thank you and I will do me best...

I am just a shut up and train kinda guy so my memory is not always the best but here goes....

My intro to the whole idea of any kind of "ground game" was back in 1994 before I entered the Navye from a guy named Devon Goda. Not sure where he learned from but he said he was showing me Submission grappling and choose to call it "Western Pankration." Ultimately I know he trained under Matt Hume for some time but I really can't remember any of the details. I was just happy to be training under someone who know something at all.

I was so impressed by the "ground fighting arts" that I helped Devon open a school for awhile for "shipping out" to the Navy and I trained everyday.

Honestly, since my first class ever in the martial arts I have practically trained everyday since. Obviously, some days I train this and other days that but I can tell you that since 1994 I trained easily 3-4 times a week on my "ground game."

Around 1995 I met Anthony Quinn who had trained for the last three years under Royce Gracie in CA and started training 2 times a week with him and any other time our schedules in the Navy allowed.

I was Honorably medically discharged in late 96 and moved to Charlotte. There I trained with various random BJJ people when I could but nothing worht mentioning. Keep in mind during all these breaks from direct instruction I trained with friends on my own going over all that I had been taught (supplementing with tapes, etc. - sucks but can you do when there isn't anything else where you are at).

In 97 I moved to Rocky Mount, NC and out of frustration with no schools teaching what I considered "real" martial arts I opened my own school and started teaching the little I knew. It had an interesting result however, come to find out when all you have to train is the basics after a while you get pretty decent with them. Not to say I am good, I just know an arbar when I see one.

During this time I found and grew to like Carlos Machade so I trained with him via seminars in Simpsonville, SC....which was a haul for me but I made the sacrifice. I probably trained with Carlos for 2 years, obviously training what I learned from the seminars in between time actually training with Carlos himself.

One story I will relate but leave the names out because I don't want to make it anymore than I think it was at the time is this....In the tournament in Fayetteville, NC my student, a whitebelt at the time (now a purple belt under Gustavo Machado in Virginia Beach, VA) won his division, then the intermediate division and then in the advanced division lost in the finals to Team Roc captain Aitor on points. During the match an instructor (a BJJ blackbelt) turned to a man named Frank Mullis and said who is that guy (referring to my studetn). Frank told him and then the instructor asked "well who is his teacher" and Frank pointed me out to him which then he asked "what is his rank" and then Frank told him I was not ranked by anyone to which the instructor said "well he should be a blackbelt" leaving Frank to turn to him and ask "well are you going to give him the rank then?" Needless to say the instructor walked away saying nothing after that.

I point this out only to try to say that I have had some recognition of my skills and my students skills by highly skilled and qualified people and all that recognition came almost a decade ago. Believe I didn't stop training then and over the last decade I have grown and learned much more. I am just one of those guys who has slipped through the cracks and since I really don't care about belts or anything I never made getting them a priority.

Take to guys I think are just great, rob and Guy Pendergrass. they are currently ranked as Brown belts under Gustavo Machado. Now they got their blue belts from Renzo Gracie some 10-15 years I think. They have tirelessly taught and trained and given everything to the sport and art and these guys are only considered Brown belts!?! That's BS in my opinion. Now I am not calling out Gustavo or anything, I am sure when there relationship with him started they started from scratch with him, but is that fair, right or even honest.

I have honeslty trained BJJ since 1994 and it is now 2008 = 14 years. I don't say I am a BJJ blackbelt and actually make it a point to say that I am not. Nor do I ever care or intend to try to attain a BJJ blackbelt....much respect to those that are and who have but I am not interested personally. As for MMA, I don't believe you need a BJJ blackbelt to teach or even to be successful in the ring (there are too many examples here to back me up). It would be great to have but not exactly a neccesity either.

I am now and will continue to teach from here on out my own system based on what I have been taught from my great and respected teachers. I call the overall system American Combat System and within it are my own things like Brinn Jujutsu. Now that might make some of you throw up but every art and teacher started somewhere and I feel it is time for me to make my break and start my own thing. I know I am ready for the challenge and I know that my students future WINS will prove it as well.

So in closing, I am not trying to mislead anyone. I think of it like a resume. On a resume you might put that you have been in the Construction business for 12 years or something like that. I put the years I have trained beside the arts and not the ranks because I felt that it is more important how much time you have learning and training more than some colored belt or title. Time and experience seem to me to teach something you just can't get from a test or title. Trust me though, I try to stay very honest about who I am and what I know, my only concern being to teach my students the best I can and be the most humble person I can be to everyone, white belt nobody all the way to blackbelt superstar!

**Note: You might or might not find it interesting to know that I in fact did not develope the website www.mmactc.com (it was written and done by someone not in nor has ever taken any martial arts). I did give that person a bio of what I had trained to this point and that is what he copied and paste into the website for my Instructor Bio.

It's great to meet another martial arts instructor in the area (with the same first name, none-the-less). Like you, I come from a mixed background of arts, and I also have an MMA program that is fairly new (mine is based out of Chapel Hill).

In regards to your biography, I did have one question. You said you trained with Master Eric Lee? Is this the same "king of kata" who is a Wun Hop Kuen Do practitioner, or another Eric Lee I am unfamiliar with?

Take care, and please let me know if you ever want to have a cross-school meet-up for some sparring. We can invite Southpaw's crew as well; he is a good guy.

Kudos dude for actually answering these questions. You have no idea how many legitimate instructors get pressed the same way as you did and respond with "come to my gym and find out" sort of answers. Not that I wouldn't, but straightforward talk like you just offered is really refreshing.

I just had a seminar with Carlos at my teacher's place. He was really fantastic, and watching him interact with a bunch of guys who have matriculated through his and his students schools really imbued me with a sense of community. I'll make it a point to stop by if I'm ever in NC.

Oh, and have you ever heard of a school called First Strike in Raleigh? :p Just wondering. Welcome to Bullshido.

Originally Posted by Sarcastro

He screams like a little girl as the pain ripples through his arm, shoots up into his brain, and now your dick is hard.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone for the spirit of the forum. I feel that websites like Bullshido are very important and highly needed if we as martial artists are going to help each other stay honest and grounded and continually evolve the arts we love.

I have never heard of any school called First Strike which is odd because over the last four years I have literally traveled all around doing demos of Daito ryu to any school that would have me and I have never came across the name before.

Anyone from here is always welcome to stop by and see the place and talk as well as train if you have the time too. There are paying students so mostly we have like a one time FREE class policy but once we get back some of the start up costs I am going to try and persuade the owner of the center to offer maybe an open mat session at least once a month or something.

The Eric Lee I referred to is in fact the "King of Kata" Eric Lee who I guess mostly now has these tours of China programs that he and Cynthia Rothrock do together I beleive. Incredible guy and undoubted Master. I met him at a friend of mines (Master Allan Goldberg) tradeshow in Atlantic City, NJ. He shared with a group of us and then Master Lee hung out with my friend and I (Master DePasquale Jr) at Hooters there in the casino and he had us all rolling out of our seats. I was at the event with Master DePasquale Jr whom I worked with on an up and coming online community project as well as his Action Film Academy which I attended in 2005.

Whenever I list people that I have trained with sometimes there is this question in my mind "should I list this guy or not." Usually it is because like in Master Lees case I really only trained with him once and it was only a short time, but then I think man God forbid he ever come across my site or something and see that I did not list him (I would not want to dishonor or hurt any of these great men and womens feelings) so I just list them and leave it at that. Some of the guys on list I have had a lot of interaction with and some are like Master Lee with only one seminar or we met somehwere and traded techniques or the like. I definitely DO NOT use the experience of one or two seminars to put forward the idea that from that short period of time I would then be qualified to teach whatever art it was I took one or two seminars about.

Thanks to everyone for the questions and hopefully we will train together sometime soon!

I figured it was the same Master Lee. He and I have the same kung fu instructor (Al Dacascos)--though he is by far my senior and superior in the arts. I was actually looking at bringing him out sometime in the next year or two; let me know if you would be interested in that.